Warning: This work has been rated 18+ for mature content.
TW: this poem contains mentions of disordered eating (bulimic tendencies), sex and rape.
Pretty girls have friends in college,
They are part of all the parties.
All I have to wallow in
Is my own pity (party).
-
Pretty girls are big girls,
Who don’t cry unless it’s expected of them.
But they cry too much
When the boy who they liked
Kissed Olivia instead
(It was way more than a kiss, Angelina).
-
They still look pretty,
During midterms and finals.
They still eat enough to have a good body
And be a nutrition major
(And skip breakfast enough times to be
Seen as an object).
-
The prettiest girls say that “Jesus loves you, unconditionally”.
They want to be better than you too,
In every way.
Unconditionally.
-
Pretty girls get hugged at church on Sunday.
The spaghetti straps of their dresses
Cover the straps of their bra perfectly.
Do pretty girls even wear bras?
(She didn’t when she was with Alex)
-
The absence of me is what creates their ideal environment.
I don’t go to church anymore,
But I still go to church (in my heart, and feel it deeper than they do).
-
Pretty girls say they don’t have sex in cars,
(We have all fogged car windows at least once, right?)
Maybe it’s not sex if it’s date rape.
They make fun of you for sinning
(In different ways than they do).
They point out my flaws.
But they are only freckles to me.
-
(My freckles look like the stars I saw
With Tanner.)
-
And pretty girls have three dates lined up this week,
But they stick their fingers down their throat
(Before each one.
Rituals are only for cults, right?).
They say skinny girls aren’t pretty
(Hannah follows 20 fitness accounts on Instagram).
-
Maybe I’m not a pretty girl.
Are you?
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125,027 Literary Works • 672,768 Reviews
Heyo! I saw this work in the green room and thought I’d leave a quick review!
First Impressions + What I Liked
Your poem touches on the idea of being jealous of pretty girls, who are seemingly better than you in every way, but also how that perfection is just a facade. They have their own flaws, insecurities and sometimes double standards when it comes to maintaining their “pretty girl” image.
I like your style a lot, the tone feels very critical, sort of? The brackets are like those comments that you can’t bring yourself to say out loud, so you have to cover it up in a bracket. (Does that make sense? Am I rambling? Ooh a bit like this I just realised)
This has to be my favourite part. You perfectly encapsulate the double standards that they have, teasing you for doing something wrong, yet they’re not exactly innocent either. And the fact that the speaker chooses not to care about their mocking, instead choosing to focus on the positive relationships they’ve probably never had? Simply amazing.
Areas for Improvement
I’m still considering renaming this part to “things I need the author to clarify because horizon is dumb”, because I have nothing to improve on for your poem! It was beautifully written.
The last stanza confused me a little. What does a ritual that include “sticking their fingers down their throat” involve? Is it a quick and simple action or something abit more elaborate? The line about Hannah felt a bit weird, as it was related to being skinny, but being fit doesn’t always lead to being skinny? I suppose a connection could be made in that way, but it wasn’t immediately obvious to me when I first read it.
Overall Thoughts
A beautifullly written poem on how pretty girls may not be as perfect as they seem. It’s very emotional, and I like that the speaker found some semblance of peace at the end by choosing not to emulate the pretty girls and focus on their positive relationships.
Me? The poem shifted its focus on me? Well I mean, I’m not, but it’s very relatable if you are (and relatable if you’re not one as well). I apologise if the review seems a little off or weird today, but blame my tired brain, not me! (I should probably be asleep at this hour)
Well that’s it for today, thanks for reading me ramble about your work, it was great if you didn’t already know! Keep writing, and remember to take breaks when needed! Have a nice day/night/somehow it’s sunset or sunrise and you don’t know what to call it?
I’ll stop now.
Cheers,
Horizon
As someone who has been surrounded by pretty girls in Highschool, I have to say that it can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they are always the life of the party and seem to have endless friends and invitations to events. But on the other hand, it can be tough to constantly compare yourself to them and feel like you're always coming up short.
In this poem, the author captures the essence of what it's like to be surrounded by pretty girls in college. They seem to have it all together - they're confident, they have a great body, they're popular, and they always seem to have a date lined up. But as the poem goes on, we see that even pretty girls have their own struggles and insecurities.
One of the most powerful lines in the poem is 'But they are only freckles to me.' It's a reminder that what may seem like a flaw to someone else is just a small part of who we are. Pretty girls may point out our flaws, but in the end, they are just freckles - not something that defines us.
The poem also touches on the pressure that pretty girls face to maintain their image. They may have three dates lined up in a week, but they also stick their fingers down their throat before each one. It's a sad reality that even the most seemingly perfect girls have their own struggles and insecurities.
As someone who may not fit into the traditional definition of a pretty girl, this poem resonates with me. It's a reminder that we are all just human, with our own flaws and struggles. And that in the end, it's what's on the inside that truly matters. So to all the pretty girls out there, don't forget to look beyond the surface and see the beauty in everyone, including yourself.
This is amazing Ellie, the emotion I feel like you’ve written this from a personal perspective…I feel like we’ve all felt like this at some point-some experience it more than others. Unfortunately, it’s a harsh reality(for an unknown reason, it’s harder to understand than the 80% of the ocean we haven’t seen yet) that people like this exist and worse-it’s hard when you grow up and realised your parents won’t always be there to shelter you, you have to do things on your own, you won’t find someone charming and kind like in Disney movies or dramas and you will have to find your own way in everything. Some people get lost on the way for numerous reasons and they fall into a rabbit hole of lies, bad people, drugs etc. They then realise too late that they’re addicted, scared and going insane but they can’t get out and have no one to help. In the end, you never know what someone is going through. I like to stick to my own things and even though I’m an over thinker and a very easy to fool person(not to mention emotional) I never encounter this stuff which I’m glad about but scared that it will terrify me if something does happen…
I love this piece of work! It’s definitely a topic I could write pages and pages about but I’ll end it here. I love this so much, as I do the rest of your pieces, but this one is special in particular because of its simplicity yet terrifying shock to reality. Hats off to you, seriously.
Awww, this is so sad!! But so relatable! Pretty girls seem to exist everywhere, but we're aways the ones who stand out as not fitting in and it's sad. Hugs to you, Ellie! The prettiest of girls are the ones with a warm heart and listening ears.